Security lapse
PremiumWhile accountability for the lapse needs to be fixed, we must not let this descend into a political slugfest. The security of India’s Prime Minister should be above partisan politics
A serious breach took place on Wednesday when Narendra Modi’s convoy en route to Hussainiwala in Punjab got stuck on a flyover for some 20 minutes as protestors blocked its passage, exposing the Prime Minister to a security risk and preventing his onward journey. Several questions arise. Why was this travel route, decided upon after bad weather got in the way of a helicopter flight, given an okay if it had not been fully secured, as standard safety protocols would demand? How exactly that blockade materialized also needs to be probed. Lapses of this nature reveal a casualness that India can’t afford.
The central home ministry has sought an explanation from the Congress-run government of poll-bound Punjab. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has also charged the state’s rulers with deliberately endangering his security, motivated by politics. The Congress party responded to the allegation by portraying the episode as a gimmick to cover up popular indifference to the BJP leader’s rallies in the state. While accountability for the lapse needs to be fixed, we must not let this descend into a political slugfest. The security of India’s Prime Minister should be above partisan politics.
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